The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-09-01
zee TRounLE Ar wnEELlNa.
The Bitter PartIsans OF the G, A. II, Gel
In their Work.

The Bitter Partiszns OF the G, A R' Get
In Their Work.
The Republican political machine,
better known as the g. A. R., made an
exhibition of mslignity and bitterness
Of heart q. Wheeling Friday, which
may we'll bring blush of shame to the
cheek of every patriotic man, and cause
mingled feelings of indignation and
sorrow to fill the breast Of every citizen
of Wheeling and West Virginia. The
scenes enacted In front OF the Register
Office, beneath the portrait Of the Com
mander.in- Chief of the army and navy
of the United States, were so disgrace
full In their nature, and so totally unex-
Dected by the general public, that even
those who witnessed them were for a
time surprised into silence and humil-
lated beyond expression by what took
place, but when there could be no Ion.
ger any doubt of the studied purpose Of
the men passing before them-when 1t
became evident that the whole proceed
Ing had been premeditated and carried
into execution with deliberate
purpose Of not only msrring the
sDlendOr Of the reunion, but
of insulting to their teeth majority Of
the people of WheelinG--the indigna.
tiOn knew no bounds, and for q time 1t
seemed that a week of cordial and fra
ternsl greeting and an era Of unbound.
ed hospitality, without a parallel In the
history of the State, was to be ended In
conflict between the sggressOrs and
those upon whom the indignity had been
put-between guest and hO5t-betWeen
the soldiers of Pennsylvania and Ohio
and West Virginia and the citizens Of a
town who at 80 much cost to themselves
had extended their hands In greeting
and had entertained with hospitality
only limited by their ability and oppOr
tunity. So cOwsrdly, 80 shameful, so
atrOciOus was this onslaught upon good
taste-thls outrage upon common de
cency-that lsngu' 60 fails to furnish
fitting terms wheTewith to denounce its
iastigators, or In which to characterize
those who carried 1t out. For 1t there
can be no excuse. no palliation, no con-
donement, for the testimOnyOf athOussnd
witnesses shows that Ofi1eIs Of the va.
riOus Posts of this "nOn-partisan" order
urged their men from the straight path
which lay uno6structed before them
into the crowded cutters, that they
might make their insult the more PROM
inent, and in many instances Post com
msndeTs and their aides grasped the
stats of flags which had been carried
through the smoke Of honorable war
and dragged them down to level with
ths'r dlsgraced selves. Men who would !
otherwise have shown their manliness
and sense of justness and brains were |
thus led by their officers iatO taking |
part In a public mark Of disrespect to |
the President, and unwittingly, perhaps,
became covered with the disgrace, and |
made their pretensions to patriotism
and love of country seem the sham IL is,
The action of these hundred day men
brought forth the following editorial In
the Wheeling Register Of Saturday;
TREASON VS.. LOYALTY.
In 1861 when Fort Sumter was fred
upon the cry spread like wild fre among
the loyal people of the land-''t 'tTeRsOnI'
A blow was struck by the Southern
Confederacy at President Abraham Lin
coins authority. 1t was treason.
In 1887, nearly quarter Of a century
after the seal of Union had been stamp
ed upon the land In characters of blood,
nearly quarter OF century after,
when the people, the bone and sineW,
the real uphOlders of the Union, had, In
spite Of politicians efforts 10 the con-
trsry, forgotten the bitterness of the
war and clsspsd hands with their FORM
er fOes-nearly quarter of century
after, we see the grand old flag trsiled
In the dust by men, who, without moral
right, wear, or more properly, disgrace,
the uniform of the Grand Army of the
Republic-trailed in the dlst while
passing under banner inscribed:
/